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Jamrach's Menagerie
Jamrach's Menagerie: A Novel | Carol Birch
SHORTLISTED for the 2011 Man Booker Prize for FictionA thrilling and powerful novel about a young boy lured to sea by the promise of adventure and reward, with echoes of Great Expectations, Moby-Dick, and The Voyage of the Narwhal. Jamrachs Menagerie tells the story of a nineteenth-century street urchin named Jaffy Brown. Following an incident with an escaped tiger, Jaffy goes to work for Mr. Charles Jamrach, the famed importer of exotic animals, alongside Tim, a good but sometimes spitefully competitive boy. Thus begins a long, close friendship fraught with ambiguity and rivalry. Mr. Jamrach recruits the two boys to capture a fabled dragon during the course of a three-year whaling expedition. Onboard, Jaffy and Tim enjoy the rough brotherhood of sailors and the brutal art of whale hunting. They even succeed in catching the reptilian beast. But when the ships whaling venture falls short of expectations, the crew begins to regard the dragonseething with feral power in its cageas bad luck, a feeling that is cruelly reinforced when a violent storm sinks the ship. Drifting across an increasingly hallucinatory ocean, the survivors, including Jaffy and Tim, are forced to confront their own place in the animal kingdom. Masterfully told, wildly atmospheric, and thundering with tension, Jamrachs Menagerie is a truly haunting novel about friendship, sacrifice, and survival.From the Hardcover edition.
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BarbaraBB
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Bailedbailed

This book didn‘t work at all for me. I just don‘t like adventurous books I think. And it was sloooow. So I am glad I gave it a try after many years on my shelves but now I must put it aside 🤷🏻‍♀️

Ruthiella I found this to be just OK. And for a book where a lot of stuff happens, it felt a bit at the end that nothing happened, somehow. 10mo
75 likes1 comment
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vivastory
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I can't believe I have never posted about this book. Wonderful prose & a great story of survival involving morally challenging nutritional choices. I was reminded of this one after finishing Life of Pi over the weekend.
#ALittlePriest #MusicalNewYear
@Cinfhen

Cinfhen I‘ve already stacked this book!! Wonder who first suggested it???sounds good. Did u read this one?? I really liked it 5y
TrishB I‘m not eating any dragons!! 5y
vivastory @Cinfhen On my TBR. I might have to bump it up! 5y
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vivastory @TrishB Wise choice 👍😄 5y
readordierachel "morally challenging nutritional choices" ?? 5y
vivastory @readordierachel I should compile a list of cannibalism euphemisms 😂 5y
readordierachel @vivastory OMG, please do that! 5y
RohitSawant "morally challenging nutritional choices" had me cracking up, too! ? 5y
79 likes4 stack adds8 comments
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Ruthiella
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Mehso-so

There is a tiger 🐅 that features prominently in the beginning of the book but the only thin ice is metaphorical. This is a historical adventure about a boy who escapes the slums of 19th century London to travel the world collecting animals to satisfy the Victorian public demands and ends up on a whaling vessel where things go very wrong... not a book for the squeamish!

#WinterWonderland #runningacrossthinicewithtigers

Cinfhen Ohhhh, I‘m very intrigued! You sold this, even though you only gave it a so-so. 5y
Ruthiella @Cinfhen It was beautifully written IMO but I expected more Dickensian flavor and it is not that at all. Definitely worth a try and I would gladly read any thing else by this author!😀 5y
Cathythoughts What a crazy cover ... it‘s great 👍🏻♥️ 5y
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Ruthiella @Cathythoughts Yes the cover design is good! 😀 5y
Cinfhen Oh good, I‘m glad to hear it‘s well written !!! Did you read this tagged book?? It‘s not “Dickensian” but it‘s really good 5y
Ruthiella @Cinfhen I‘ve not read that yet though I‘ve heard good things! 5y
TrishB Clever pick 👍🏻 cover is striking! 5y
batsy Pretty cover! 5y
28 likes8 comments
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Bookworm-Bobbie
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I just had to share my literary themed hen-do with you all. I‘m getting married in 5 weeks and my wonderful bridesmaids created a unique day full of literature. We had a literary themed quiz, treasure hunt and taste test, followed by an outside production of Little Women. Plus a surprise book gift for all attendees. @EmmaPlum ❤️❤️

DivineDiana Sounds like such a thoughtful occasion! 6y
julesG Agree, very thoughtful. Are you going to have a literary themed wedding? There's a new Alice in Wonderland inspired cocktail book. Just in case. 😉 6y
JacqMac That sounds very fun! 6y
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LeahBergen How lovely! 6y
britt_brooke LOVE 6y
41 likes6 comments
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Weaponxgirl
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#readingwomenmonth historical fiction that is once again on my tbr on my kindle. Based on some real life events and this just sounds really fun.
@ephemeralwaltz @Andrew65 @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Andrew65 😊 6y
48 likes1 stack add1 comment
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diovival
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#junebookbugs Day22: #teeth
Jaffy and Tim, friends and rivals growing up in 19th century London, embark on an ill-fated overseas adventure hoping to capture an elusive "dragon" for their employer. It is surprisingly intense. Somewhere along the way it morphs into Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors out on the open water.
@RealLifeReading

Cinfhen Awesome cover😍 and your blurb just sold it to me! 7y
BookishMarginalia Good review! 7y
diovival @Cinfhen I was bummed Litsy didn't have this edition in the database. Love this cover even if the other one better represents the mood of the book. 7y
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batsy This sounds amazing! And that cover, love it. 7y
TobeyTheScavengerMonk Coooooooooool. 7y
31 likes2 stack adds6 comments
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I-read-and-eat
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Panpan

This book started out strong but it turned out to be way more boat related than I expected. I was hoping for an adventerous book about the collection of exotic animals, turned out that was not what it is about. Besides that I found the characters to be quite flat and unreal. The ending was lovely though so I am glad I stuck with it. 🌟🌟

BookishTrish Sorry you didn't love it; it's a favourite of mine. 7y
37 likes1 comment
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I-read-and-eat
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Tonight's read is one that has been on my TBR stack for ages. Finaly going to dive in.

I have not been on Litsy much lately as my thesis has taken over my life 😂 But tomorrow the first version goes out the door and then I wait, revise and I am finished! It's so close now guys! Excited and scared!!!

Kalalalatja Hope all goes well! 7y
LeahBergen 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 7y
ValerieAndBooks Good luck with your thesis!! 7y
Robothugs I'll be interested in your review of this! 7y
41 likes1 stack add4 comments
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I-read-and-eat
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My #firsteverlitsypost was only two weeks ago. It feels like I have been part of this community for months! Thanks all for the warm welcome. This was a #bookhaul in september. I have finished The Song of Achilles and am now reading Robin Hobbs Dragon books. So many books have jumped the queue on my TBR pile 😄 #booktober @RealLifeReading

TrishB I got The Song of Archilles in a charity shop yesterday, looking forward to it! 7y
Tsubame I just finished rereading it this morning and am still a bit book hungover 🙈 Hopefully Milled will write another book like this! 7y
Marchpane Patroclus 💔💔💔 7y
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I-read-and-eat @Tsubame @Marchpane It is so heartbeaking! @TrishB I hope you'll love it as much as I did. Nearly finished it in one sitting. 7y
TrishB @I-read-and-eat a great recommendation! 7y
JennyWren So basically everyone on Litsy got The Song Of Achilles from a charity shoo haha 😆 my #firsteverpost too 7y
I-read-and-eat @JennyWren I wonder who the people are who actually bought it brand new. 😁 7y
32 likes7 comments